Salem Police Officer Loses Rifle During Shift

A local police officer lost his patrol rifle during his shift yesterday and Salem Police are asking for the public’s help in locating it.

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The weapon was stored in a black canvas carrying bag, similar to the one pictured in this post, in the trunk of a cruiser at around 3:45 p.m. on Jan. 6, the start of the officer’s shift. The officer reportedly failed to secure the rifle in the trunk before leaving the police station parking lot.

The weapon, a Colt M4 Commando 5.56mm semi-automatic “short barreled rifle” is a law enforcement only rifle, and carries “severe penalties for possessing this weapon without the express approval granted by the BATFE,” according to Lt. Joel Dolan of the Salem Police Department.

Dolan stated that the officer was sent to several calls but didn’t realize the weapon was missing until around 11:45 p.m., at the end of the officer’s shift.

“At this time we believe the rifle may have fallen off somewhere in the area of Veterans Memorial Parkway through the Depot area or around the Howard Street block as this is the first area where the officer responded to calls for service,” Dolan said in a statement. “The area has been searched extensively, and we continue to use all available resources at this time to recover the rifle. We also believe the bag may have been picked up by a person whom may not know what to do with the rifle.”

Police are asking anyone who has the rifle to return it to police headquarters on Veterans Memorial Parkway or call 603-893-1911.

“If the person does not feel comfortable with turning it into the Police Department they can turn it in at a local gun shop, or any other safe place ensure its safe return,” Dolan noted.

Dolan said the department was ”embarrassed” by the lapse in security.

“We fully understand the significant public safety risk posed by the loss of this rifle,” he said. “This is undoubtedly a failure to follow established policy and procedures. We are embarrassed as an agency and no one feels worse than the officer who lost the bag. We will conduct (an) internal investigation into the matter as well as review our practices to ensure that this event does not occur again.”

Courtesy photos from the Salem Police Department; Colt M4 photo courtesy of Tactical-Life.com.